Looking past the publishing classified information argument, I think Manning was an ass in a seat inside the military network who didn't know how to hack the system to get more information while Assange/Wikileaks thought they knew how to hack the system but didn't have an ass in a seat inside the military network where they needed to hack from.
Assange/Wikileaks talks up a disgruntled Manning, they cut a deal, and Manning decides to try the hack coached by Assange/Wikileaks. If that scenario is correct, then Assange/Wikileaks is both Elsburg and the NYT in Dersh's Pentagon Papers example. How would that fall out wrt criminal activity?